During his first season as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Ron Rivera saw a rookie tied up and repeatedly dipped into cold water. What would happen, Rivera wondered, if the ropes didn’t hold? David T. Foster IIIdtfoster@charlotteobserver.com

During his first season as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Ron Rivera saw a rookie tied up and repeatedly dipped into cold water. What would happen, Rivera wondered, if the ropes didn’t hold? David T. Foster IIIdtfoster@charlotteobserver.com

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The NFL, the toughest of our leagues, has all but eliminated hazing. Rookies carry the helmets and shoulder pads of veterans after practice, and entertain veterans with songs and skits at a training camp dinner. They entertain the veterans when they’re good as well as when they’re really bad.

I talked to Carolina Panthers’ coach Ron Rivera about hazing after the Charlotte baseball episode.

During his first season as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, he saw a rookie tied up and repeatedly dipped into cold water. What would happen, Rivera wondered, if the ropes didn’t hold? Rivera ordered the rookie freed.

Rivera pledged for a fraternity when he was at California. The way it worked was that every time he, or any other pledge, screwed up they’d have to drink a shot. It was football season, and Rivera, a star linebacker, wasn’t going to drink.

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera ended up withdrawing his pledge to a fraternity when he was at California.

Jeff Siner jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

The fraternity guys, who might or might not have been wearing khaki, asked him if he wanted to let his fellow pledges down. Rivera withdrew his pledge.

If you do more shots, are you going to be more loyal to an organization? Will you care more about the organization’s purpose or goal (and fraternities do engage in philanthropy)? Is membership on a team or in a fraternity suddenly more prestigious if you’ve been compelled to drink much more than you customarily do?

Rivera talked about a coach on his staff that relentlessly rode a coach at the bottom of the coaching hierarchy. Rivera asked why. Because, said the coach, I had to put up with it.

Rivera told the coach to stop.

Organizations engage in hazing because those that came before them did it. The logic is twisted. So is the practice.

Panthers Ron Rivera breaks down the dagger play

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Jan. 7, 2018, that he appreciates the organization giving the team continuity and Marty Hurney has done a good job as interim general manager. Jeff Sinerjsiner@charlotteobserver.com